Victoria & Abdul

Tropic Sprockets by Ian Brockway

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Stephen Frears (Philomena) does an excellent job detailing the friendship between Queen Victoria and Abdul Karim during Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee of 1887. At times “Victoria & Abdul” feels like a Tin Tin comic book: colors are bold and bright and look, here is an Englishman with a pith helmet. But in a flash, we zoom in on Victoria (Judi Dench) sitting imperiously at the dining table about to commence a full course dinner at a mohur ceremony, as she is the Empress of India.

Karim (Ali Fazal) a Muslim prison clerk and royal servant, is instructed to bring the coin, but never to look at Her Majesty and of course he does just that. Their eyes lock with shared sympathy. Weariness is contrasted with innocence.

In another scene, Karim is in charge of bringing out the royal custard: the gelatin wobbles like mad in a sexual breast-like shape which pokes fun at Karim’s excitement in serving The Queen.

The wobbles calm and Victoria is delighted. Suddenly, Karim bends quickly and kisses the Queen’s shoe. 

Needless to say, a rapport develops. 

Karim is promoted to Munshi, loosely translated as a spiritual teacher. Karim is invited into the Royal house with other family much to the dismay of Bertie (Eddie Izzard), Prince of Wales.

Dench is wonderful here and it is very satisfying to see her as an old grump (resembling a huge ebony onion) only to melt into something almost dainty and girlish under the sparkle of Fazal’s eyes.

Poignant too it is to watch Victoria pleased with joy as she learns of Indian spices: corriander and garam masala. The words are like sacred stars even though she cannot reach them. The Queen never set foot in India. But her enthusiasm for the East and Karim is never extinguished.

Ali Fazal, a Bollywood star, is terrific as well in his role and one feels his glee and his nerves.

After a bit of comical shouting and screaming by the Royal Household in the manner of John Cleese’s Fawlty Towers, racism and withering gossip rear their ugly heads—Islamophobia is alive and well in 1887—but Dench’s Victoria in a repeated role, lays down the law.

The impactful thing about “Victoria & Abdul” is in watching these two people become friends. Better yet, we care.

One is aged, melancholy and non-plussed by life, the other lively and full of charisma. The pull of the exotic and the power of a smile is unmistakable and Frears lightly hints at The Queen wishing for a bit more than a peck.

A surprise emerges that, like Ebeneezer Scrooge at Christmas, Victoria’s bitter gaze slowly melts under an open smile. 

Write Ian at ianfree1@yahoo.com